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II, 2.
THE MISSION TO SEEK THE PRINCE.
107
“ Birth comes from nothingness, and without any plan of ours we perish'." 750
Thus one is born a fortunate child, removed from poverty, of noble family, or learned in testamentary lore of Rishis, or called to offer mighty sacrifices to the gods, 751
Born in either state, untouched by poverty, then their famous name becomes to them “escape," their virtues handed down by name to us ?; yet if these attained their happiness (found deliverance), 752
Without contrivance of their own, how vain and fruitless is the toil of those who seek “escape.” And you, desirous of deliverance, purpose to practise some high expedient, 753
Whilst your royal father frets and sighs; for a short while you have assayed the road, and leaving home have wandered thro' the wilds, to return then would not now be wrong; 754
Of old, king Ambarisha for a long while dwelt in the grievous forest, leaving his retinue and all his kinsfolk, but afterwards returned and took the royal office; 755
And so Rama, son of the king of the country, leaving his country occupied the mountains, but hearing he was acting contrary to usage", returned and governed righteously. 756
"I have taken the symbol 'iu' here in the sense of without,' like the Latin 'careo.'
2 The sense seems to be that the great name and renown of such persons handed down through successive generations is 'salvation' or 'deliverance;' not the reward of another world, but the immortal character of their good deeds in this.
3 So I translate the expression 'fung-tsuh-li,' usage-separation. • There is a symbol here which may denote the name of the
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